Artemis Fowl and the Ebony Key
by DarkenedUnderworld
Summary: There is a girl going around with magical powers, looking for a key that can open dimentions through time and space. Will Artemis and friends be able to stop the world from unravelling?
1. Chapter 1

Artemis Fowl and the Ebony Key

**By PinkAngel30 **

Author Note: Hello people, well this is my new fan fiction. Hope ya like it. Please review even if you think this story sucks.

Chapter 1: The Key 

It was a chilly September evening and nothing was stirring that could have disturbed the deadly silence of the little town. Then there was a crunch and a shadow stepped forward out of a cluster of trees that surrounded the town. The shadow walked forward, moving swiftly along the road towards a little cottage hidden in the darkness. No lights were shinning through the small windows of the cottage, no on was awake. The stone walls of the cottage loomed through the dark. A mist had fallen that had not been there a second ago, which made the darkness even more dense than it had been and more ominous. That didn't seem to bother the shadow though, it continued along the path until it reached the door and then it knocked three times on the front door. A light flickered on in one of the upstairs rooms and it was accompanied by the sound of feet as some one came down the stairs. The front door opened and in the doorframe stood an elderly man in his late sixties, wearing a set of blue and white striped pyjamas.

The old man rubbed his eyes then looked up into the face of his visitor and almost collapsed in shock. His visitor strode past him into his house without an invitation and closed the door. The person walked into the living room and pulled off the cloak it was wearing. The person gazed around the room for a few moments, taking in its odd appearance. The walls were covered in shelves and cupboards, which were full with odd artefacts like skulls and weird mystical objects and talismans. His visitor turned and gave the old man a small smile. The visitor was a woman who could not have been older than nineteen. She had shoulder-length dirty blonde hair that was streaked with purple, golden-brown eyes and rosy cheeks. Her ears were pierced and hanging from them were skulls and she had black lipstick and eye shadow on which gave her an odd look. The make-up did not go well with her natural looks but she was still pretty. Underneath the cloak she had been wearing was a black T-shirt with white writing, which read _Darkness Rules the World_ and black denim trousers.

'What are you doing here?' the old man asked her rather rudely in barely more than a whisper.

'Can't I come and visit my grandfather once in a while?' said the woman with a smirk.

The old man laughed. 'That would be the last reason you would be here. You know you are not welcome here Alicia, leave now and do not return. You have shamed the family's honour. Get out.' As the old man said those words, the woman screeched with fury.

'How dare you speak that name in my presence, that is not me anymore, my name is now Althuna Cutriana and you should do well to remember it else I will have to make you remember it,' she roared at the old man who cowered as her voice rang out around the room.

'It will never matter to me who you are now, but who you were, and that was Alicia Thomson. Now why are you really here?' said the woman's grandfather stubbornly.

'Fine,' she hissed. 'Where is the key?'

'What key?' asked the man innocently.

'_What key?_' she mimicked, 'Do not play games with me. I do not have the time or the patience. The Ebony Key, as you very well know.' She spat at him when he continued to look puzzlingly at her.

'I do not know of any Ebony Key but if I do, I will let you know.' The man said which only infuriated the woman more. She leapt at him. Grabbing him by the throat, she lifted him off his feet. He began to splutter as his oxygen ran out and she leered at him. She seemed to gain satisfaction as he choked in her grasp and his eyes rolled back into his head.

'I will ask you one more time. Where is the Ebony Key?' she hissed in his ear.

'I - don't - know,' he gasped. She bared her teeth and flung him away from her. He landed in a heap on the floor ten feet from her and as he made to get up, she walked over to him and punched him in the face.

'I have lost my patience with you,' she screeched as he spat blood on the floor. 'Now I will not spare your life. Either you will die quickly and not as painfully or you will die slowly and with a lot of pain, depending on whether you tell me what I want to know. Now, for the final time, where is the Ebony Key?'

'I won't tell you anything!' he replied as her face changed colour to beetroot red. He stood up straight and faced her, waiting for the impending pain. It came in a blast of red sparks. Althuna had closed her eyes and when she opened them again, her pupils had turned blood red. She clenched her fists as red sparks played about her fingers and aimed her palms at the old man's chest. The sparks shot at the man and hit him squarely in the chest. As they hit him, his body started to convulse as if he had been hit by electricity. Her grandfather was thrown backwards and he crashed into one of the walls. He groaned with pain as he fell face forward onto the carpet and moved no more.

'Pity, you could have joined me rather than choose death, ah well, it's your loss,' Althuna said with a small smirk. She didn't show any signs of remorse that she had just murdered her grandfather. She turned her back on his body and started raiding the draws and cupboards, looking for the Ebony Key. Soon the room was littered with things that she had pulled out of draws and cupboards like some of the artefacts the man had collected. The collection of skulls he had were now laying smashed on the floor and talismans were left abandoned on the carpet. She stopped rummaging through his things, turned and started to walk up the stairs. As she reached the landing, a door opened to her right and an old woman stepped out.

'Who was that de…?' The lady broke off as she realised that Althuna was not her husband. 'Where is my husband?'

'He's taking a nap,' said Althuna with a malicious grin. The woman considered what Althuna had said for a moment and looked up into Althuna's eyes, which were still a blood red colour. The old woman then rushed back into the room she had come out of and tried to shut the door behind her but she was not fast enough. Althuna grabbed the door and shoved it open as the old woman backed away from her. The woman started to scream but Althuna silenced her by blasting her into the wall with the same red sparks she had used on her grandfather. The old lady was dead even before she hit the floor.

Author Note: Well, that's the first chapter. Hope you liked it, please let me know and if you have any suggestions for the story tell me. Please don't forget to REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Friends Again 

Artemis Fowl awoke with a start. He had been dreaming about some of his previous adventures with the ex-Captain of the Lower Elements Police, Holly Short and the kleptomaniac dwarf, Mulch Diggums. In particular, he had been dreaming about last years adventure with Opal Koboi. The nefarious pixie had tried to kill himself, Holly and Foaly the Centaur. She also had one more person on her hit list, which was Commander Julius Root but unfortunately, she had managed to kill him. Holly had been blamed for his death but after it was proven that she had not killed him, she quit from the LEP. Luckily though, they had all managed to get Koboi captured and she was now spending a lifetime behind bars.

Artemis was shaken from his thoughts by a loud beeping noise. He knew immediately what it was. Last year, Holly had given him a fairy communicator so they could stay in touch and she often used it to ask his advice on cases since her and Mulch had teamed up to be private detectives. He scrambled out of his bed and made his way over to his safe. He retrieved the communicator and opened. Holly's face filled the screen but it was not smiling as it usually was. She looked up into Artemis' deep blue eyes and sighed. Artemis immediately could tell there was something wrong.

'What wrong, Holly?'

'There's been a report of two people who have been murdered in Ireland last night, quite near to your house.'

'Why are you telling me this, the police should be handling it?' He gazed at the fairy's face for a moment, looking deep into her hazel eyes.

She sighed again. 'They didn't die of natural causes, Artemis. It looks like they were electrocuted and fried at the same time. This is definitely something magical.'

'Ah… So you want me to have a snoop about to see what I can find out. Am I correct?' He raised an eyebrow by a fraction.

'Yeah, if it's not too much trouble.'

'No it's fine. Is there anything else I need to know?'

'Yeah, when the police searched the couple's house, they found loads of magical objects like talismans and stuff and also, when they searched through the guys papers, they found out that his name was…' There was a ruffle of paper as Holly checked the name. 'His name was Mr Alan Bryson. Does that name ring a bell?' Holly looked up just in time to see the youth turn paler than he normally was. 'Artemis, are you alright?'

'Uh… yeah. Sorry, yeah I know the man.' Artemis turned away from the screen as he went to sit on his bed but he still her the elf's next words.

'How did you know him?'

'He used to be one of my old councillors that I made retire. My Mother made me go and see them in the hopes that they could make me normal, if you can believe that.' Artemis sighed and rubbed his forehead as he continued. 'I don't know why but that old man got further than the rest and understood more than just assigning a problem to be fixed.'

Holly kept silent and could almost see remorse and regret in Artemis' pale features and blue eyes but then it was gone and he was his usual self. 'Could you take a look around then, or will you get distracted by the fact that you knew the man?'

'No, I can do it and I'll try my best to keep my emotions out of the affair.' He combed an arrant stray of his long raven hair thoughtfully but didn't say what was on his mind. 'OK, I'll let you know what I find out and I'll call you in a couple of days.'

'All right, but keep me up dated. Also, be careful, Artemis, we don't know what force did this. Bye for now.' Holly cut the connection and the screen went blank. Artemis was left by himself, his thoughts chasing themselves inside his mind.

Eventually he got up and got dressed. When he went downstairs for breakfast, he was not wearing one of his usual Armani suits, but was wearing jeans and a black short sleeved T-shirt. As he entered the kitchen, Butler looked questioningly at his charge's attire but passed no comment. It was not like Artemis to wear normal teenage clothing unless he had to. But then again, Butler couldn't be sure since his charge had changed so much over the past couple of years. He was no longer the cold hearted child he had been who's only thought was for gold but was now more caring and thoughtful towards people. Butler placed a plate full of food in front of Artemis and the youth began to eat. Once Butler had settled down with his own meal, Artemis began to inform his bodyguard of the task Holly had entrusted to him.

'Holly rang on the communicator a while ago.'

'Ah, I thought I heard you talking to someone, what did she want?'

'She wants us to do some digging into the background of Mr Alan Bryson. You remember him don't you?'

'Yes, he was one of the councillors who retire on you behalf, wasn't he?' Butler looked into his charges face with a questioning look on his features.

'Yes. She wants us to do this because Mr Bryson was murdered last night, along with his wife. Apparently, they didn't die of natural causes so Holly wants us to figure out how they died and why they were killed.'

'Fine, when should we go and have a look? I doubt you'd be able to get near to the crime scene though.'

Artemis smiled and it was as if vampire fangs sprouted from his mouth. 'Don't worry about that, I'm sure we can get in if you persuade the officers that will undoubtedly be around. If that fails then I can unleash my knowledge on forensics on them and prove that I could be of some help.'

'Right, when should we go?'

Artemis checked his watch. It was nearly ten o'clock. 'I think we should get going now. If we're lucky, there won't be many officers. I'll go grab my coat.' Artemis left the room and met Butler at the front door. They both set out in the Bentley and they were soon on the road, heading towards what had been Mr Bryson's house.

Author Note: Hope you liked that chapter. If you think it could be improved let me know, I welcome all criticisms and praises. Let me know what you think. Bye!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Investigate 

Artemis and Butler arrived at the old stone cottage. It was an ordinary building with boring stone walls and a grey-tiled roof. The building looked exactly the same as the ones surrounding it but different all the same. As predicted, there were a couple of police officers standing around the building and the front door was blocked with yellow crime scene tape. Artemis strode purposely up to one of the officers. The officer in question was tall and thin with dark brown hair and green eyes. He gazed down at the pale youth standing in front of him and the burly giant next to the boy.

'Um… excuse me. What are you doing here, this is a crime scene?' said the officer.

'Oh I know that, sir. But you see… this is my grandfather's house. I found out about his murder and… and I wanted to remove some things from his house before they get damaged. I know he would have wanted them given to his family. That's if it is all right with you?' said Artemis, playing the part extremely well. He added pauses and stutters in the right places to make the act convincing. Butler had to suppress a grin at his young charges skill. The officer looked bewildered for a moment as if he didn't know what to do. After a moment the officer stepped aside and allowed the young boy and giant Eurasian to pass. They ducked under the crime scene tape and entered the cottage with Artemis in the lead. Artemis stepped into what he figured was the living room. His foot knocked against something and as he glanced down, he saw that it was a human skull but some of its crown had been bashed in.

'It seems that Mr Bryson was a somewhat collector of magical artefacts. If I didn't know any better, from this arrange of objects, I would assume Mr Bryson belonged to a cult of some sort,' mused Artemis. He took another step forward and scanned the room. There were talismans littering the floor, some of the cupboards that covered the walls were open with their doors hanging off their hinges and the room was in disarray.

'Hmm, it looks as if their visitor was searching for something.' Artemis squatted on the floor and began to piece together what had happened. 'From the fact that the front door is intact, we can guess that Mr Bryson knew his visitor.' He paused.

'Yes, that's what I would figure,' said Butler. Artemis moved his gaze around the room and spotted a long black cloak on the floor. Artemis moved towards it but Butler stopped him. 'The crime lab haven't been yet, Artemis. We don't want to leave any fingerprints.' Artemis nodded his approval. Luckily, he had already thought of that. The boy pulled a pair of plastic disposable gloves on and handed Butler a pair to. The boy then lifted up the cloak and examined it. On the hood he could see a few hairs. He plucked one off and looked at it. It was brown-blonde in colour and had a streak of purple on it.

'It would seem,' he said, 'That the killer has long brown-blonde hair with purple streaks in it.' Artemis pulled an empty vial from his pocket and put the hair inside it. 'We can do a DNA scan on it in my lab.' Artemis also noticed the style of the cloak. It was tightly cut at the waist but it flared at the bottom. 'Judging from this cloak, I guess the killer is also female and about 5 foot 6.' He pulled out a notepad and added the information to it. He dropped the cloak and continued to look around. After seeming nothing more of use, he made his way to the stairs.

He reached the next level and opened the first door he came to. Looking inside, he noticed that it was an office. Artemis entered the room with Butler close behind. The room itself was nice. It had a mahogany desk near the back by a window, which was hidden behind green curtains. There was also a chair in front of the desk and a laptop sat on the desk. This room was also a mess, with paper covering the carpet and the drawers of the desk were open.

'Again, I feel this woman was looking for something.' Artemis made his way over to the desk and sat down on the chair as he studied some of the papers on the desk. 'Butler, could you pick up the paper on the floor?' The bodyguard obeyed and started to pick up the paper. None of the pages Artemis scanned contained any useful information. All except the last one, which was a will. 'Butler, you might want to take a look at this.'

'Yes?' asked the manservant after he had come to stand by Artemis' shoulder. The boy handed him the will and Butler quickly read through it. Artemis began to hunt through the draws. In one of them, he found a photograph. He picked it up and looked at the picture. In it, it showed a girl of about seventeen standing next to an old man in his sixties. Artemis flipped the picture over and read the back. On it, it said 'Alicia and me, 2004'.

'Butler, we may have found our killer,' the Irish teen said, handing Butler the photo. The bodyguard nodded his approval as he noted the girls long brown-blonde hair, which had purple streaks in it. 'If I am right, then that girl is Alicia Thomson, Mr Bryson's granddaughter.'

Butler raised his eyebrows. 'And you know this…? Wait, don't tell me. The girl mentioned in the will. How do you know it's the same girl?'

'Turn the picture over.' Butler did so and after reading the note, smiled. 'Right, we had better leave here. Collect up the paper and the photo. We may need the laptop too.' The bodyguard collected up all the things and hid them in various pockets but hid the laptop under his jacket. Then both then removed the plastic gloves and put them in their pockets.

As soon as they had done that, they made their way towards the door but it opened before they got there. In came three officers, just in case the giant man attacked.

'You done?' asked the guard who had let them in.

Artemis nodded. 'We were just about to leave actually.' Artemis then brushed past the officers with Butler behind him and left the house. As soon as the got back in the car, Butler headed for Fowl Manor.


	4. Chapter 4

Author Note: Hey, thanks to Simmetra, spirochick39 and Faustus Bailey for reviewing. Love you guys. Anyway, on with the story.

Chapter 4: Captured

Alicia Thomson, now known as Althuna Cutriana, was is a horrendous mood. Her idiot grandfather had not told her where the Ebony Key was and she had not found anything of use in her grandfather's house. On top of that, she had watched a pale youth of about fifteen enter her grandfather's house, accompanied by a veritable giant. She wouldn't have worried about them, if the boy hadn't claimed to be her grandfather's grandson. She knew she didn't have a brother so she had decided to spy on the pair and had over heard them get a description of her hair and then they learnt her name and gained a photograph of her. She knew they weren't with the police, otherwise they would have told the officers there what they had found out, but she had no idea who they were. She had followed them cautiously to a huge Manor house that looked like it had been there for centuries, considering the décor and style of the building. There were a few towers dotted around as well as some gargoyle statues. There were also a few stained-glass windows that probably dated back to the early nineteenth centaury, maybe earlier.

At that moment in time though, she wasn't much interested by the décor. Her main interest was on the pale youth, who had so easily figured out who she was. She watched from behind the gates as the Bentley they were in pulled up outside the house. The gates read 'Fowl Manor'. Now she knew the boys last name. The huge man stepped out of the car and opened the door for the boy. A small smirk played across her lips as she watched the boy enter the house through a huge set of double doors. The giant quickly closed them behind him. _Hmm_, she thought, _this could be interesting_.

Ten Minutes Earlier, In The Fowl Bentley 

Butler glanced again in the rear-view mirror. He then turned to Artemis who already had Mr Bryson's laptop out and running.

'Artemis?' he said.

'Hmm?'

'I think we have someone following us,' replied Butler. Artemis glanced up from he laptop. 'Blue Vauxhall, back two spaces.' Artemis glanced quickly out of the back window, it was tinted, which meant that he would not be seen. Artemis spotted the car, which was staying behind a four-wheel drive Land Rover.

He nodded. 'Keep going. We can watch them from the security cameras if they continue to follow us. We must be wary though, this could be miss Thomson and she seems very capable of killing since she killed her own grandparents. It was definitely not natural, so be extra vigilant.' Butler nodded in agreement and understanding, keeping his eyes trained on the road but also sneaking glances at the blue car.

Soon, they turned off down a side road towards Fowl Manor. By the time they had turned, the Vauxhall was lost from sight and so they didn't see if it was still following them. They soon arrived at the gates, which Butler opened with a remote control. They passed through them and they closed soundlessly behind the Bentley. Butler pulled up in front of the house, got out and opened the door to the car.

Artemis stepped out and said quietly, 'I'm going straight for the control room to check the security cameras. Keep your eyes peeled too, as these people might gain entry to the Manor. If they do, I have a plan.' Again Butler nodded and then opened the front doors for Artemis. They were then closed swiftly behind him as he made his way towards the control room. He entered the room and sat down, scanning the security monitors that showed the cameras. On the one by the front gates, it showed a young woman peering through them. Artemis instantly recognised her as Alicia Thomson. What he saw next almost made his jaw drop. The woman had glanced up at the top of the gates, which had spikes on the top, had then stepped back, ran full on at the gates and then jumped over them. Considering the gates where almost ten foot tall, including the spikes, this was definitely not natural. Artemis grabbed the walkie-talkie from beside a control panel and changed it to Butler's frequency, since Butler never put it down.

'Butler, Miss Thomson is inside the gates. I just watched her jump clean over them. She is definitely not entirely human so be careful. Come here right away.'

'…' Nothing but static for a moment but then, 'On my way, Artemis.' Artemis put the walkie-talkie back down and leaned back in the chair. He would need to talk to Holly about this but first, he would like to have a talk with his visitor. Butler soon entered the room and came to stand next to Artemis, who was keeping an eye on Miss Thomson.

'Right, you remember Holly's cell that we had made?' Butler nodded. 'Well, it is still furnished so I think it would do well if we caught Miss Thomson and kept her in there for a while. Here's what I want you to do…'

After Artemis had told Butler his plan, Butler and himself got into position. Butler went down to the kitchen, where Artemis had guessed Miss Thomson might come in and he had stayed in the control room, keeping Butler up to date on where the girl was.

Meanwhile, Althuna was creeping across the lawn, towards the kitchen, where Butler stood waiting. She knew he was there, that was the reason she was heading there. The quicker she got rid of him, the quicker she could go and have a chat with the youth she had seen. She could see the giant man through the window of the back door. He had his back to her and was clutching something in his arms. She couldn't see what it was, not that it mattered. Slowly, she crept to the door to the kitchen that led outside and pulled on the handle. It was locked, so she quietly sent a few red sparks into the handle to melt the lock. She pulled on the door and it opened easily, with no sound apart from a few minor squeaks. It seemed that the man wasn't very good at his job, since he didn't even turn around at the tiny sounds. Just as she was about to let loose a few sparks on him, the giant turned around with such speed, she could do nothing to stop him. That was when she saw what was clutching in his hands. He held a dart rifle. Before she even had time to react, he shot her in the leg with a dart. She could feel the curare and succinylcholine chloride-based tranquillizer empty into her leg. Then she felt no more as she sank into unconsciousness.

Author Note: How was that? Please let me know how you feel about my story and thanks again to the people who have reviewed. Don't forget to REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Information

When Althuna awoke, she was lying down. Her mind was clogged and she couldn't think properly. All she could do was lay there and breath, thoughts were too hard to manage at the moment. A few minutes later, she gathered enough strength to try and move but as she tried to sit up, a blast of pain racked her body. She stopped and just lay there, gasping for breath. She shook the cobwebs from her mind as she tried to think a clear thought. Her thoughts ran along the lines of, 'What had caused her so much pain?' 'Where was she?' and 'How did she get there?' She tried to recall what had happened but at the moment everything was a blur but she could still remember certain things. _I remember being at my grandfather's,_ she thought, _I remember that he wouldn't tell me where the Ebony Key was. I ended up killing him, yes, I remember that. But I also remember a pale youth, maybe he had something to do with this. I think I followed him to a mansion._ Then an image of the gate with the nameplate across it. _Fowl Manor,_ she thought as she read the sign. _Where do I know that name from?_

Just then, she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a door open somewhere. She cracked open one eye and then the other. She was lying on a cot that was too small for her in a room made of cement. There weren't any windows or decorations covering the walls. She tried to sit up again and managed it that time without as much pain as the first time. Standing in the doorway was the pale youth she had remembered seeing and a giant man was standing behind him. Then she remembered everything. About her following the pair after they had figured out who she was, how she had entered the Manor and then how the giant had shot her with a dart. Her thoughts were overcome by anger and she was just about to let loose a few sparks on the pair but then she calmed herself. They probably didn't know about her powers so she didn't have any intention of revealing them yet. Then the pale youth spoke.

'Good evening Miss Thomson,' he said and for some reason, his cold voice sent shivers running down her spine.

'What… what happened? Who are you?' she asked the boy, trying to play a clueless little girl so that she could learn more.

But it seemed the pale youth saw right through it. It amused him as he smirked at her. 'Oh don't act so innocent. You know exactly what happened but I will answer your second question because you probably don't know who I am. My name is Artemis Fowl the Second and the man behind me is my bodyguard Butler. Now that we know who each other's names, would you care to tell me why you killed your grandparents and then attempted to kill Butler?' There was a note of steel in his voice, which showed that she shouldn't lie to him but she wasn't about to tell him the truth either.

'My grandparents were selfish and stuck up,' she lied. 'They didn't give a damn about me and thought I was insane.'

'Well, being the fact that you killed them, I would have to agree with that statement.' He saw her clench her teeth and it made him smile wider. 'Anyway, I know that is not the truth and I am very prepared to have Butler here, beat the truth out of you but I am civil so I will give you one more chance to tell me the truth.'

'Go to Hell!' she screamed as she spat at him and tried to stand up. Butler moved in front of Artemis and pinned the girl down with a massive hand. She still struggled but there was little she could do since Butler was so strong. There was one thing she could do though. She felt the power come from her heart, emerging from her hate. The power rushed through her body, filling every pore as her eyes turned blood red. Artemis was the first to notice.

'Butler, I think we should get out. Now!' Butler didn't waist time questioning his charge but let go of the girl and headed straight for the door. Artemis was already out and as Butler turned to close the door, he saw the red sparks around her fingers. She aimed her palms at the door but by the time she released the sparks, the door was already closed.

Butler didn't get surprised too often, the last time had been when he was facing a troll almost three years ago. 'Whoa. Artemis, what is she?' he asked the boy, who was leaning against the wall panting.

'I'm not sure. I know for a fact that this has something to do with the People though. I'm going to go call Holly.' Artemis left his manservant to go up to his room where he fetched his communicator. Artemis dialled Holly's communicator and soon her face was filling the screen. She had a smile on but as soon as she saw Artemis' face, it disappeared.

'What happened, Artemis?' she asked, concern showing in her deep brown eyes.

'We found the killer.'

'And…?'

'She is now locked up in the cell.'

'Ah… Why did you capture her? You should have left it to us.'

'It wasn't my fault. She must have heard me and Butler talking about her because she followed us to the Manor and tried to kill Butler. Luckily, I guessed what she would do so we were able to contain her. But…' He stopped, his ocean blue eyes losing their focus.

'But what?' Holly said.

'Oh, sorry. Holly… she has powers and I don't mean healing and the _mesmer_. I mean dangerous powers. She can conjure up red sparks and her pupils turn red. She almost killed both of us! I'm guessing that's how she killed her grandparents.'

Holly was silent for a moment. 'Your both all right, yeah?'

'Yeah but if we have to keep her down there, we aren't going to be all right for long.'

'OK, I'm gonna ask Foaly if he can get me a visa so I can come to the surface. The earliest is going to be tomorrow morning, is that OK?'

He rubbed his brow, 'I guess but hurry because with her powers, she should be able to get out of that cell easy. I'll see you tomorrow.' He cut the connection and then went downstairs to tell Butler the news. His bodyguard would not like it, but they didn't have any choice.

A/N: How was that? Please let me know, I love reviews and thanks again to the people who have reviewed. Bye!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Powers Unknown

Artemis found Butler in the kitchen when he came downstairs after speaking with Holly. Artemis entered the room and butler looked up from the magazine he was reading. As he saw the title, which was 'Guns and Ammo', a small smile flickered across the youth's lips. Butler was always reading one of those magazines and he must have read that one about five times already.

'What did Holly say?' he asked when he saw Artemis enter the room.

'She can't come until tomorrow so we'll have to look after our… _guest_ until then.'

'You know, Artemis, I really don't like this idea. That girl is dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt.'

'Since when are girls not dangerous?' the boy joked as he recounted his experiences with Holly and Juliet. Mainly when they had hit him.

Butler scowled. 'Since when did you make jokes about situations like this?'

The grin vanished from Artemis' face and he composed himself. Butler was right, this was no time to joke. 'I'm going to go and check on our _guest_.' Butler stood up to come but Artemis stopped him. 'I'm not going in there, I'm going to check on her from the security room.' Butler nodded and left Artemis to do what he wanted.

Artemis took the stairs up to the security room. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a noise. There was a thump and the sound of quite swearing. It sounded like 'D'Arvit!' Artemis could tell that the voice was female. Considering only fairies and himself knew the word that had been said and only one fairy had been invited into the Manor, the boy thought he knew who it was. He opened the door quietly and found that the room was empty, apart from a small haze above the chair. On the ground lay the walkie-talkie Artemis had used earlier.

Artemis cleared his throat and said, 'Holly, please stop hovering and come into the visual spectrum.'

The haze seemed to settle into the chair and then became a solid figure. The chair turned to reveal a short girl with pointed ears, short auburn hair and glistening hazel eyes. She smiled. 'Hello, Artemis. Miss me?' She gave his a mischievous smirk as he came over to her and gave her a hug.

'Yes I did, but what are you doing here? I thought you could only come tomorrow?'

'So did I but Foaly pulled a few strings. You know how he is but he was able to get me a visa quicker and now I'm here.' She gave him a smile and he smiled back. Not his usual vampire smile but a real one filled with warmth.

'OK, where's Butler. You should probably tell him I'm here.'

'Yes. I'll tell him to come up now,' Artemis said as he bent down to pick up the walkie-talkie that was lying on the floor.

He was stopped by Holly as she tapped him on the shoulder and pointed at one of the screens. As Artemis looked at the screen she was pointing at, he felt his blood run cold. The screen showed Althuna Cutriana and she did not look happy. She had completely recovered from the sedative that had been injected into her and she was now in the process of using her powers. They watched as the girl stood up and closed her eyes. Red sparks began to dance along her fingers and as she opened her eyes, they had turned to red slits like usual. Holly and Artemis stared at the screen with their mouths hanging open as they watched Althuna shoot sparks at the camera. In the control room, the sparks had travelled up the wire on the camera and into the control room. This resulted in the sparks hitting the screens that Artemis and Holly were watching from and making them all go blank. There was nothing but black on all the screens.

'Uh… That's not good.' After saying that, Holly dashed out of the room, followed closely by Artemis. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Holly was quickly in front of Artemis, her legs carrying her easily but Artemis was already panting heavily. He had started to take up jogging but he had never run full blast for such a long time before since Fowl manor was very large. Soon they were at the staircase, running towards the kitchen where they had seen Butler. They entered out of breath and Butler was startled as they hurtled into the room.

'Butler – Miss Thomson – used her powers – cameras down. Need to go check – on her,' Artemis said as he tried to catch his breath. But soon the three of them were running towards Althuna's cell. They stopped as they reached the door, which was glowing red and there was a heat haze surrounding it. Butler acted immediately. He pulled Artemis and Holly away from the door and out into the corridor where he pulled them around a corner. He did it just in time. If the trio had stayed there for a moment longer, the molten metal of the door would have crushed them. The door crumpled and fell to the floor, revealing Althuna standing in the doorway with glistening red eyes. Butler charged at the girl, only to be hit in the shoulder by the sparks. He kept going though as the sparks didn't have enough power to kill him at that moment. He rammed into her and knocked her to the floor. He pinched the nerve cluster at the base of her neck and she fell unconscious instantly. Once the coast was clear, Holly and Artemis dashed forward. Holly quickly breathed, 'Heal,' and blue sparks left her fingers to target the wound on Butler's shoulder. Meanwhile, Artemis was gazing curiously at Althuna. At that very moment, he realised how pretty she actually was. Her long dirty blonde framed her face and her usual makeup had come off, showing her features underneath. When Artemis realised what he was thinking he shook his head. _Damned puberty, _he thought bitterly. This was no time to think of someone trying to kill him like that. Butler seemed to know exactly what was going through his young charges mind and laid a consoling hand on his shoulder. Artemis looked up and nodded to the hulking figure beside him.

Artemis turned to Holly. 'Have you ever seen these powers before?'

'No, I'll have to talk to Foaly about this. Where should we put her? She can't go back in there.'

'I really have no idea. I guess we'll have to sedate her for the time being. Butler, can you keep an eye on her while we speak to Foaly?' Butler nodded and then picked the girl up. _Let's go and see what Foaly makes of this, _Artemis thought, _cause I have no idea._

A/N: Just so you know, this story is not romance. I just put the puberty part in because it's part of growing up. Anyway, hope ya liked that chapter. Bye!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I know I haven't said this before but I don't own Artemis Fowl or any of the characters except Althuna Cutriana and the plot. Anyway, thanks to spirochick39 for reviewing. Thank you, love ya lots. Also, I have now finished reading The Lost Colony. It is BRILLIANT! Right, now on with the story.

Chapter 7: Questions and Answers

Holly and Artemis left Butler to deal with Althuna as they made their way up to Artemis' study. The boy typed in the code to unlock the doors and then pushed them open. They both entered the room and Holly took a look around. The room was huge. It had a sofa and a couple of chairs in there, a desk and loads of technology. After a moment she realised she had her mouth hanging open so she closed it and then went over to the desk where Artemis was sitting. She pulled up a chair next to him as he pulled out the fairy communicator. After a moment, the centaurs face appeared on the small screen.

'Hey, Fowl, what can I do for you?'

'Foaly, we have a problem and I have no idea how to fix it.' For a moment the centaurs face was blank but then he started to laugh. 'Foaly,' Artemis said angrily, 'This is serious.'

After a moment Foaly composed himself. 'OK, what's the problem?'

'The girl who killed her grandparents, Alicia Thomson, is now unconscious after trying killing us all.'

'How, I'm sure she's no match for Butler, even if he's a bit older now?' asked Foaly confused.

'Yes, well, that would be the case if she wasn't able to electrocute and fry you.' At this statement, the centaur winced.

'Do you have the footage of the attack?'

'Some of it, she knocked out all the cameras so we only have some of it. I'll send it to you now,' Artemis said as he booted up the computer in front of him. It only took a moment and soon the boy genius was typing furiously across the keyboard. Below ground, an icon flashed in the corner of the computer screen in front of Foaly. The centaur played the footage he had been sent. As he watched it, his face grew longer and longer in disbelief. He turned back to the communicator.

'But that's impossible!' Foaly muttered, more to himself than Artemis and Holly.

'Well?' Artemis asked impatiently.

'Uh… This girl, have you asked her about her powers?'

'We haven't really had time since she's been trying to kill us,' he replied sarcastically. Holly punched him on the arm.

'This is no time to joke around,' she hissed. Artemis nodded as he rubbed his arm and turned back to Foaly who was busy typing furiously on his keyboard. A frown creased his forehead. After a moment he looked up. Artemis and Holly waited patiently for him to speak.

'This girl, she shouldn't exist. There was this race a couple of centuries ago. They were half-fairy, half-human and they also had a bit of demon blood in them. Don't ask me how. Anyway, these hybrids were old. I mean millenniums old. Then all of a sudden, they were never heard or seen of again. When they were still around, they showed powers like the ones this girl is showing. Everyone assumed they died out.' Foaly's face blanked out to showed a shot of Althuna from the security cameras. 'If you look here,' he said as he circled Althuna's ears, 'You can see a small point on her ears.'

'Is there any way we can bind her powers so she can't hurt anyone?' Holly asked.

'There is one way but it is extremely dangerous. I would have to come above ground to do it but it should work. Meanwhile, Holly, you could mesmerize the girl and find out what she was looking for and find out more about her powers and the hybrids. I've got to go now though. I'll try to come to the surface as quick as I can. I'll let you know when I'm above so you can pick me up. See you then,' Foaly said as he cut the connection. Artemis shut the communicator as he stood up to go back downstairs. Holly stood for a moment looking thoughtful. Artemis noticed this.

'Something wrong?' he asked.

Holly shook her head. 'No, it's nothing.' He nodded as they left the room, heading back downstairs. They found Butler in the cellar with Althuna. She was still unconscious.

'What did Foaly say?'

'Apparently she's some sort of hybrid with fairy, human and demon blood in her. That's how she's got her powers,' explained Artemis. 'Foaly's going to come here to try and bind her powers. Could you wake her up so that Holly can mesmerize her?'

Butler nodded. He made his way towards Althuna.

Meanwhile, Althuna felt like a ten-ton truck had hit her when she woke up. She could hear some one talking but it sounded far away. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't manage so she concentrated on the voice. It sounded like the pale youth who had captured her. He was talking to some one. _Apparently she's some sort of hybrid with fairy, human and demon blood in her. That's how she's got her_ _powers,_ said the voice. She began to panic but told herself to calm down. So they knew about her powers and what she was. The voice continued. _Foaly's going to come here to try and bind her powers. Could you wake her up so that Holly can mesmerize her?_ So they had a fairy with them. That made things more difficult. She heard footsteps and then some one tilted her head and pinched the nerve cluster at the back of her neck. She immediately felt the blood and strength return to her limbs. She opened her eyes to find the giant known as Butler looming over her. He pulled her to her feet and kept a firm grip on her neck. She looked around and saw the pale youth called Artemis. She also saw a short, auburn haired, brown-eyed elf. _That must be Holly_, she thought. The elf stepped foreword and spoke.

'Why did you kill your grandparents? What were you looking for in their house?' Althuna heard the elf's voice. It sounded like a choir of angels. She knew instantly what she was doing and fought it as hard as she could. Holly said it again, adding more power to the mesmer. Soon, Althuna gave in and answered the questions she was asked.

'I killed them because they didn't give me what I want.'

'What do you want?'

'The Ebony Key,' Althuna said in a dazed voice. Holly glanced at Artemis and he nodded.

'What's the Ebony Key? What does it do?'

'It opens a door in dimensions and allows the user to enter different times.' Holly looked at Artemis again and he shook his head this time. Butler pinched the nerve cluster at the back of Althuna's neck again and she fell to the floor, unconscious.

A/N: Hope you liked that chapter. Please review, I love reviews. Thank you, bye!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: New Technology

It was hours after interrogating Althuna when the communicator in Artemis' pocket began to ring. Artemis was startled out of his thoughts as he pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open. Foaly's face appeared on the screen, from the background, it looked as I he was outside.

'Hey, Fowl, could you come and pick me up? I'm at Tara.'

'Yes of course. Myself, Butler and Holly shall be there in a while to pick you up. For the time being, I would hide in the terminal so you don't get seen.'

'I had thought of that you know, just hurry up please.' Foaly then cut the connection as Artemis made his way down from his study. He quickly found Holly and Butler and they soon left the house, heading towards Tara. Butler drove the Bentley with Artemis in the front next to him and Holly in the back. They rode in silence, Butler keeping his eyes on the road, Artemis typing on his laptop, which he had insisted on bringing and Holly gazing absently out of the window at the countryside. They soon arrived at Tara and they all got out to greet Foaly. They could seen a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows and soon the torso of a man could be seen, followed by a horses body. The centaur flicked his tail as he came out of the shadows. He held out his hand to Artemis, who shook it warmly.

'Hey, Foaly,' said Holly as she gave him a hug.

'Holly, how are you?'

'Good. Did you bring what you need?'

'No, I came all this way to bind this girls powers but forgot what I need to do it with,' Foaly said with the usual sarcasm, lifting up a bag so that they could see it. Artemis gave a small smirk at this but made no comment.

Butler broke the silence. 'We had better go before some one sees us.' They all nodded and Butler held the back door open for Holly and Foaly who both climbed inside. Moments later, they were on their way back to Fowl Manor, nobody spoke as the car made its way down the lanes and roads. In a matter of minutes, the car passed through the gates to Fowl Manor and the car pulled up in front of the double doors. They all got out and entered the Manor, but Foaly stopped them with a comment.

'Artemis, what about your parents?'

'Don't worry about that, they're away at the moment.'

'Ah, OK.' They continued on their way. Artemis led them all up to his study where they could speak privately.

'Foaly, what did you bring and what can we do to help?' Holly said as soon as they were all comfortable in the study.

Just some bits and pieces. A demon warlock's book and some technology that should help,' he said as he pulled out the objects from the bag. Last he pulled out what looked like a pair of handcuffs but different than the ones the LEP use. They looked like they were made of metal and had a keypad on them so that the wearer couldn't reach it. Artemis took them from Foaly and inspected them.

'Foaly, what metal is this made form?' asked Artemis.

Foaly shook his head. 'They're not made of metal. They're made of a substance that can change shape and design depending on what you want to disguise them as. I call them Chameleon Cuffs, C Cuffs for short. There are also unbreakable, no matter what you do to them. You can melt them, freeze them, crush them, whatever you want and they will not break. Also, the keypad has a ten-digit code instead of three so it's harder to crack. They stop burst of magical power as well so if you try to use magic, it contains it so the wearer can't hurt themselves or anyone else.' Artemis looked impressed but the look quickly vanished. 'I brought them so that we can stop the girl from hurting us.'

Artemis nodded. 'OK, we best get this over with before Miss Thomson wakes up. What do we have to do?'

'We put the cuffs on her and then four magical beings surround the girl…' Foaly was cut off by Butler.

'But there are only two magical beings,' he said. 'You and Holly.'

'No, you two are magical as well. Mud Men used to know magic but they forgot how to aeons ago but you still have the power buried deep inside your brain. It should be enough to make it work. As I was saying, we chant the words from the book and that's it.'

'That's it? Nothing else?' Artemis raised an eyebrow sceptically.

'Yeah, that's what the book says.'

'OK, let's go then.' Artemis walked out of the room, closely followed by Holly, Butler and Foaly. They followed the corridors and descended numerous staircases until they reached the cellar where Althuna had been kept. Butler entered first to check that the coast was clear. He switched on the light switch and quickly glanced around. Althuna was still lying on the floor in a heap and it looked as if nothing had been disturbed. He made his way over to Althuna and crouched down next to her as Artemis, Holly and Foaly entered the room. Next thing they knew though, Althuna had jumped to her feet, knocking Butler over and was glaring at the other three people in the room. She took a step towards them as sparks began to creep along her fingers and she smiled. A cruel triumphant smile.

A/N: Hello people. Sorry to leave it hanging there but I love cliffies so you'll have to wait until I next update to find out what happens next. Hope you liked that chapter anyway. Oh and please REVIEW! Bye!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: OK, here's my next chapter. Hope ya like it!

Chapter 9: Consequences

Althuna took another step forward with an evil gleam in her eyes. The sparks began to become more erratic and out of control as they danced along and around her fingers, weaving patterns in their wake. She took another step as she aimed her arms at the three in front of her, ready to fire the sparks and kill all three. Unfortunately for her, she didn't get the chance because at that moment, Holly acted. She took a step forward and stood in front of Artemis and Foaly, shielding them from the sparks. When Holly next spoke, her voice was layered with the _mesmer _but Althuna fought it.

'Stop!'

'No!' Althuna took another step forward.

'I said stop! Don't make me kick your ass 'cos I will if I have to.'

Holly could see it in Althuna's eyes. She was fighting it and she was winning. Holly turned quickly and pushed Artemis and Foaly back out of the way. Then she turned again to Althuna who was still fighting the spell. Before Holly even had another chance to say a word, Althuna had thrown the spell off completely and was moving towards Holly again. At that moment, the soldier in Holly took over. Butler was on the floor and Artemis and Foaly were pretty much useless in a fight so it was up to her. Holly reacted before Althuna could and she kicked the girl in the stomach. Holly danced around, landing a punch to the girls face. Next she tried to punch her again but the girl caught her hand at the wrist and kicked Holly full force in the face. Something cracked, and when Althuna pulled her foot away, there was blood pouring down the elf's face but the flow was soon stemmed as blue sparks of magic healed her wound. It went on like that for a while, when Holly got hurt, blue sparks fixed the wounds and when Althuna got hurt, red sparks fixed her wounds.

While this was going on, Artemis and Foaly were watching dumbfounded while the two girls beat the crap out of each other. They both heard the occasional, 'D'Arvit' leave both of the girls mouths and a couple of other swear words in other languages, which, unfortunately for him, knew. At one particular swear word that was very rude, Artemis held his hands over his ears for a minute until the words stopped. Soon, both were disrupted by their thoughts when Holly head-butted Althuna and dropkicked her to the floor. The girl was left moaning on the floor until, after he had regained consciousness, Butler came over and pinched the nerve cluster at the back of the girls neck and she ceased her moving. Artemis and Foaly then decided it was safe enough to come over then.

'Well done, Holly,' said Artemis as he clapped his hands to her.

She glared at him. 'You could have at least helped.' She then rubbed the back of her neck and wiped some of the blood of her face. 'Man, that girl's got a mean kick.'

'Sorry to break this up but shouldn't we do this before she wakes up again and another fight happens?' said Butler. The others nodded and Foaly clip clopped over to the unconscious girl. Foaly pulled the handcuffs out of the bag he was carrying and put them on the girl. They locked in place with a click. Just then, Artemis thought of something he hadn't before. He turned to Foaly.

'Foaly, have you ever heard of the Ebony Key?'

'Yes, why?'

'It just, this girl has been looking for it. She wants to use it.'

Foaly glanced up from what he was doing to look at the pale youth. 'Really?'

'Yes. Do you know where it is?'

'I do but I'll tell you later so missy here doesn't hear.' Artemis nodded and Foaly turned back to his work. A moment later he stood up and pulled the demon warlock book from his bag. 'Fowl, Butler, you both know how to read Gnommish, don't you?'

'Of course,' Artemis said, the typical arrogance showing through once again.

'OK, here's what we do. We stand in a square around the girl and chant the words. Just copy what I do. Once we're all saying it, we say it four times and then a red light should come out of the girl. I have a jar here to catch it in,' Foaly explained.

'That's it?' said Holly unconvinced.

'Yep. We ready?' Everyone nodded so he started to chant the words in Gnommish. Artemis paid particular attention so he could get the words perfect. After a few moments of listening to Holly and Foaly, himself and Butler joined in the chant. As they all said the words, a red light shone out from the girl. Soon the light became brighter until a red fog was settling around. After they had chanted the verse four times, they stopped and the light and fog left the girl completely. Foaly held the jar out to catch it but instead of it going in the jar, it aimed itself at Artemis. The boy was thrown backwards as the red light covered him and then dissipated. Everyone rushed over to him to see if he was all right. He sat up and looked a little dazed.

'Artemis, are you all right?' Butler asked.

'I… I think so.' As soon as he had said those words though, there was a crackle and the red sparks that had so recently danced along Althuna's fingers, now danced along his. After a moment of staring at the sparks, Foaly spoke.

'That's not good.'

'Well-done, Mr stator of the obvious. Of course it's not good,' said Holly, her usual sarcastic self. At that moment though, no body was paying attention because Artemis fainted, falling into a world of darkness, away from the comforting voices of his friends.

A/N: There we go, that's chapter nine. Hope ya liked it. Will update soon, promise!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What Happened?

When Artemis awoke, he was lying in a large soft bed with a pounding headache. He cracked open one eye and looked around the room. He then opened the other eye and saw a fresco on the ceiling. He was back in his own bedroom. He noticed there was a figure leaning against his bed but the person was blurry. Artemis rubbed his eyes and looked again at the person. It was a small girl with pointed ears and flaming shoulder length red hair. Artemis sat up and shook the girl until she woke up.

'Holly? Holly, wake up.' The said girl woke up with a start and glared at Artemis until she realised who it was that had woken her. Her expression softened.

'Hey Artemis. How are you feeling?'

'I have a dreadful headache but apart from that fine. Why, what happened?'

'Um… I'm not really sure. We were doing the spell to remove Miss Thomson's powers and then they sort of… hit you.'

He gazed at her confused for a moment. 'Hit me?'

Holly felt herself squirm under his gaze as she answered. 'Yeah, and then when we went over to see if you were all right, you had her powers,' she finished rather lamely.

'Ah… So I now have Miss Thomson's power. Yes?' She nodded.

'Foaly's working on how to fix it without giving the girl back her powers.' He nodded in understanding and tried to sit up but Holly put a hand on his chest to stop him. 'You should rest.'

'I refuse to just lay here, Holly, when I can be of more use,' he said stubbornly.

She rubbed her forehead. 'Fine, but you're explaining it to Butler.' She removed her hand from his chest and he sat up and then stood up, with her help. They then left Artemis' bedroom and headed down the stairs to the kitchen where the others were. Foaly greeted him but Butler gave Holly a reproving glare. She had the decency to look guilty.

'You shouldn't be up right now.'

'I know but I point blank refuse to say in bed while we're in this mess. I want to help, plus, with these new powers I can help with Miss Thomson.' He gave his vampire grin, he knew that these were logical reasons and Butler would have to give in.

'Fine.' He sighed, 'But be careful. We don't want you fainting again.' Foaly gave a small snicker but soon shut up when Butler glared at him.

They all left the room to go and check on Miss Thomson. When they entered the cellar, Artemis noted that her hands were still cuffed behind her back with the cuffs Foaly had brought along with him. Butler entered the room first, still as cautious as ever. As he got closer, he felt her pulse from a distance and noticed that it was at a steady beat, which meant that she was still unconscious. He pinched the back of her neck again and the girl groaned as she regained consciousness. After a moment, she jerked awake and glared at Butler and the others as they stared at her. She got steadily to her feet, with the help of Butler, and continued to glower at the occupants of the room and closed her eyes, muttering something under her breath. When she opened them again she gave a small grin but then looked down at her hands. There were no sparks, she looked confused for a moment and tried again with the same result. Her mouth opened in shock but her mouth almost hit the floor at what she saw next.

Artemis was staring at the girl curiously as she tried and failed twice to use her powers. Then all of a sudden it didn't matter as a wave of light-headedness hit him. His eyes were instantly drawn to his arms, as were the eyes of every other person in the room, including Miss Thomson. Red sparks were once again dancing around his fingers, their swirls of colour and elegancy making them look as if they were dancing. Each one doing a counter-part to the other as they flickered. Artemis felt blackness eat at the corners of his vision as he began to fall backwards but was caught by Holly who lightly slapped his cheek leaving a red mark. It served its purpose though and Artemis was pulled away from the blackness and back to the world.

'Are you OK?' asked a voice in his ear as he was placed back on his feet with a steadying hand on his shoulder.

'Ye… Yes. I'll be fine.' He glanced next to him to find that Holly had been the one to speak. He next noticed Althuna or Miss Thomson, as he knew her as, who was staring at him as if she couldn't believe her own eyes with her mouth hanging open. Then, when she noticed him looking at her, she spoke.

'But… But how? How did you get my powers and what the hell is going on? Who are you?'

Artemis sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine coming on. 'It seems Miss Thomson has lost all memory of us. Well done Foaly, this is just what we need, on top of everything else,' said Artemis, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Hey, don't blame me, it's not my fault,' the centaur said indignantly as he crossed his arms.

'Fine,' snapped Artemis startling everyone. 'Butler, please unlock the handcuffs and escort Miss Thomson to a guest room.

'Artemis, I don't think that's a very good idea.'

'Look, if she can't remember then she can't stay locked up down here. Anyway, she hasn't got her powers so she can't hurt us.'

'I beg to differ Artemis. In fact, my face begs to differ after what she did,' Holly said quietly.

'I know but still, Butler I will not ask you again, please do it. I will speak with her later.' Butler nodded and unlocked the handcuffs but he did not look very happy about it. Something was wrong with Artemis, he was sure of it but he couldn't disobey so he led the girl up to one of the guest bedrooms. After telling her where everything was, he left the room quietly and locked it. Now, to have a little talk with Artemis.

A/N: There we go, that's chapter ten. Hope you like it and I know I said this wasn't going to be romance, it's not, but I might add a few moments in like I already have put in. Sorry if I have confused anyone, I hope that clears it up. Anyway, please let me know if I can improve, creative criticism is greatly liked. Well, bye!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Just so ya know, words in italic are thoughts. Anyway, on with the story!

Chapter 11: Something's Wrong

When Butler left Miss Thomson in her room, he made his way to Artemis' study where he knew the boy would be. While he walked, he thought of what might have happened to change Artemis. _Maybe getting that girl's powers changed him. He doesn't seem as calm as he usually is. It's probably just the shock of it. I'll have to talk to him about it. _With these thoughts in mind, Butler arrived at the study and knocked lightly on the door.

'Come in!' said a voice from inside and Butler obeyed, opening the door and then closing it behind him. 'Ah, hello Butler,' greeted the youth as he looked up from his laptop, which he was typing on.

'Hello Artemis… um…'

Artemis glanced curiously at Butler because of his hesitance. 'Yes?'

'Is there something bothering you, sir?'

'No, should there be?' Artemis asked, raising an eyebrow by a fraction.

'It's just the way you acted downstairs. You were rather harsh when Holly and Foaly were just trying to help.'

Artemis typed something else and then closed the laptop, laying his hands in his lap. 'I suppose I was rather harsh. I had better go and apologise for my rude behaviour.' Artemis stood up and quickly made his way over to Butler faster than the manservant thought Artemis could move. Butler hesitated at the door, glancing at Artemis. The boy saw the glance. 'Is there anything else, Butler?' The older man was about to say yes, when he saw a tinge of red flare in Artemis' blue eyes for a moment as the boy glared at him.

'No, Artemis, nothing.' Butler then stepped aside and let Artemis pass. He thought it best not to get on Artemis' bad side when he had these powers of his. _I had better go and warn the others. There is something seriously wrong with Artemis. He has never had that edge in his eyes before with me. Never. _With those thoughts chasing themselves around his head, he followed after Artemis to make sure nothing happened.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Holly and Foaly were arguing in the kitchen about goodness knows what when Artemis entered. They became quiet as the both surveyed them through piercing blue eyes. Holly made to speak but Artemis cut across her.

'I'm sorry that I snapped at you both earlier. I do apologise for my behaviour, it was very rude of me.'

'Hey, it's okay Arty,' said Holly grinning. The grin slid from her face as Artemis' face hardened at that tinge of red crossed his eyes again. 'Uh… yeah, it's fine.' Holly smiled sheepishly and the red disappeared from the boy's eyes. Just then, Butler entered the room, his dark eyes scanning the scene.

'Right, I had better go have a word with Miss Thomson. Good day,' he said, then he turned and left. The three stood in silence for a minute, watching the boy leave and then they all shared a glance with each other. For another minute there was silence, the three just looking at each other. Finally, Foaly broke the silence.

'What's got into, Fowl?'

'I have no idea. I was just with him upstairs and I was asking him if something was troubling him. Then, I swore I saw a flicker of red in his eyes,' said Butler with a sigh.

'I know, I just saw the same flicker when I called him Arty. There is something seriously wrong with him. Foaly, could this have something to do with the powers he now has?'

'Of course,' Foaly muttered. Butler and Holly just looked at him, puzzled. Foaly noticed their looks and explained. 'When Artemis gained the powers, he probably gained some of this girl's personality too. She probably gained some of his as well. That's why the girl doesn't remember us. That part of her must have switched with Artemis. We have to stop him.'

'But how? He now has these powers and part of the personality of a murderer. We won't get near him if he doesn't want us to and he already suspects something's up,' interrupted Holly, her face falling.

'I guess we'll have sedate him or something. Foaly, can we reverse this, can Artemis come back?' asked Butler worriedly.

'Yes, but we have to do the spell again to reverse it but then the girl will have her powers again. Are we willing to risk that?'

'We have to. We need Artemis back and fast before we loose him completely,' replied Holly. Butler nodded his head in agreement.

'I'll get the tranquilliser gun,' said Butler as he hurried off.

Upstairs, while this conversation was going on. Artemis unlocked Althuna's door and entered the room. The girl had been lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling but she jumped when the door opened and stood up, looking at the pale youth that had entered. As she gazed at him, she instantly registered that he had raven hair, deep ocean-blue eyes and abnormally pale skin. He smirked as he noticed that he had scared her.

'Sit please,' he said, his voice tinged with an Irish accent. He pointed to the bed and she said while he pulled up a chair in front of her.

'Who are you?'

'I am Artemis Fowl the Second and you are Miss Alicia Thomson.'

'Actually, I shed that name a long time ago,' she said with a hiss. 'I am now known as Althuna Cutriana and you should do well to remember that.'

He smirked again. 'You are in no position to make threats, Miss Cutriana. If anything, you should be the one worried.'

'Why is that?'

'Well, I now have your powers after you made an attempt on my life and are now my prisoner.'

'When did I try to, as you put it, 'make an attempt on your life'?'

'Well, it depends on which time, but most recently, earlier today.'

'How did you get my powers?'

Artemis quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked again, but this time it reminded Althuna of a vampire. 'I got your powers when we did a spell to remove them so you could not harm me or my friends.' Althuna opened her mouth to reply but didn't get the chance as Butler entered the room and shot both Artemis and Althuna with the dart rifle he was carrying. The last thing she saw was the giant of a man leaning over her and then darkness.

A/N: Well, there's chapter eleven, hope ya like it. Bye!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Almost Normal Again

Artemis came to a couple of hours later. By that time, the spell had already been reversed and he was now himself again. Well, almost himself. You see, there had been a slight side affect from the spell, which couldn't be reversed, but it shouldn't hamper Artemis in any way. He didn't know this of course, all he knew was that he had a blinding headache and seemed to be tied to a chair from the pain he had in his arms. He opened his eyes groggily and had a look around. He seemed to be in his own bedroom and all the lights were off. Artemis quickly glanced around the room, most of his bed was in shadow and he was facing his bed. Artemis tested the ropes, they were tightly securing his arms and legs to the chair. For a few minutes he thrashed around, trying to get out of the ropes but after a minute he realised his attempts were useless. Suddenly, he heard a creak from the far side of the room.

'Who's there,' he asked, his voice with a slight quiver. _Since when do I get afraid?_ he thought. There was another creak and a lamp flickered on, giving the room some light.

'Artemis? You're awake then?'

The boy was relived to here Butler's deep voice. But then, he realised, if it was Butler then he wouldn't leave him tied to a chair. What was going on?

'Yes, I'm awake.' Again there was another creak and a silhouette appeared in front of Artemis. The man took another step forward and Artemis mentally sighed, it was Butler. Then his gaze flickered to what Butler was carrying. In his arms, he held a high-powered dart riffle. That can't be good. 'Butler, what's going on? Why am I tied to a chair?'

'Do you remember anything?'

'No, the last thing I remember is doing that spell to bind Miss Thomson's powers and then waking up here.'

'So you can't remember what happened to you?'

'Butler, your cognitive functions must not be working as fast as they usually are. I just told you I don't,' Artemis snapped. 'Now would you please untie me from this chair and tell me what the hell is going on?' Butler looked taken aback for a second. Since when did Artemis curse? He raised the dart riffle slightly, pointing it at Artemis.

'I can't do that, Artemis,' the manservant replied levelly.

'Why not?' the boy asked irritated. He usually kept his calm but after everything that he remembered happening, you can't blame him for being a bit on edge.

'I can't untie you because of what you might do, if it is really you.'

'What? Butler, you are not making any sense what so ever.'

'No, I'm making perfect sense.'

'Fine. Let me prove I am Artemis,' the youth said testily. 'Your first name is Domovoi, you died once at the hands of Arno Blunt, bodyguard to Jon Spiro when I was careless and revealed the C Cube to Spiro which contained fairy technology but ex-captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon brought you back to life but you aged fifteen years. I first met Holly when I kidnapped her and held her hostage for fairy gold. Then, she helped us rescue my father from the Russian Mafia after we helped her stop Opal Koboi. Then, last year, Opal came back, murdered Commander Julius Root and almost killed us all but we stopped her. Shall I go on?'

'No Artemis. Even though all of that is true, I'm still unsure whether it is you.'

'D'Arvit! What do I have to do to convince you I am me?'

Butler raised his eyebrows. 'Nothing.'

'What do you mean 'nothing'. Surely there is something?'

'No, nothing you can say will prove it. I'll be back in a minute.' With that, Butler turned around and left the room.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Holly and Foaly had been listening to the entire conversation. At certain points, they shared the same disbelieving expressions. After a couple of minutes, they heard Butler walk towards the door. A minute later, the man left the room and, closing the door, turned to the other two.

'Is it him?' Holly asked.

'I really don't know, he told me only things himself or us would know but, as Foaly said, if it's still Miss Thomson, she could just be going through Artemis' memories and picking out things.'

'I know, it's just that, if it is him, then he doesn't have any idea what is going on and he's probably scared shitless. How can we prove that it's him?' Holly asked.

'I don't have any idea. Foaly?'

'Well, we should go and talk to Miss Thomson. If she has got her powers than Artemis is telling the truth. Butler, you go talk to the girl, she probably more of a danger than Artemis. Me and Holly will keep an eye on him.'

'All right. I'll be back in a bit.' Butler turned around and headed off down the corridor while Holly and Foaly entered Artemis' room. Holly stopped Foaly though, before they could completely enter.

'What?'

'Do you think we should tell him what happened?'

'Yeah, then he won't be annoyed at us later.' Holly nodded in agreement and then entered the room, closing the door behind them.

Artemis heard the door open again. He sighed, back to the questions then. He expected to see Butler but he saw a centaur, Foaly and an elf, Holly. They walked towards him and stopped. Holly made her way to the bed and sank into it while Foaly stayed standing. They didn't talk for a while, just staring at him. It was making Artemis more uncomfortable than he already was. Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

'Is one of you going to speak or are you just going to keep staring at me all day?' he snapped.

'Artemis, we know your angry but if you were in our position you would completely understand what we're doing,' Holly said tentatively.

'How? Do you really think I would understand you tying me to a chair and then accusing me of not being me?'

'Well, yes.'

'OK, I'm trying to be calm but this is not making any sense to me and that's saying something since I'm a genius. Now, would one of you please explain what is going on?'

'All right,' Foaly said. 'After we cast the spell to bind the girl's powers, they transferred from her body to yours, along with part of her personality. This resulted in you acting strange. At the time we didn't know what had happened, that is, until you acted weirdly and we noticed what might have happened. Then Butler knocked both of you out with the tranquilliser gun and we reversed the spell.'

'So, what does that have to do with me being tied to a chair?'

'Well, we're not sure if it worked. We're not sure if you are actually you,' finished Holly.

'Right. That's explains it and no matter what I tell you, you can't be sure that I'm me. Correct?'

'Yep. Butler's gone to talk to the girl to see if she has her powers.'

'Ah, so if she has her powers, it proves the spell worked and that I'm me and then you can untie me. I guess I can wait a little while. Has anything else happened since I was unconscious?'

'That's right, Butler should be back any second.' Just as he said those words, Butler burst into the room, not looking very happy. 'Hey, what's wrong?'

'We have a big problem. Miss Thomson's loose.'

A/N: There we go, that's chapter twelve, hope ya liked it. Please let me know.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter to my story. Hope ya all like it!

Chapter 13: Danger Again

A second after those words left Butler's mouth, he had crossed the room quickly to Artemis and pulled out a knife. For an instant, Artemis felt fear and he knew Butler could sense it because he looked at him for a moment. Then it was gone and Artemis was his usual self, while Butler cut the ropes that bound him to the chair. The boy practically leapt from the chair and the four of them made their way towards the door. But before they could get there, the door was blasted off its hinges and it slammed into Holly, knocking her to the floor in a heap.

'Holly!' Artemis yelled and before he could stop himself, he had run over to her and fell by her side. He quickly shoved the remains of the door off her and checked her pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a steady pulse beneath his fingers but by the lack of movement, she was unconscious. Artemis could see blue sparks begin to leap from her skin and target the various cuts and bruises she had just sustained. She would be all right.

Unfortunately for the others, they weren't doing so well. Artemis glanced up just in time to see Althuna walk into the room, red sparks sizzling under and over every centimetre of her skin. He could only watch, helpless, as she sent a wave of sparks at Butler and Foaly. They didn't even have time to breathe as they both collapsed on the floor and moved no more. Panic forced its way into Artemis' mind, blocking out all thought. All his friends were unable to help him. Holly was unconscious and Butler and Foaly were most likely dead. There was no one to protect him, no one to stand between him and Althuna. The girl moved forwards, laughter erupting from her throat as she continued towards him, each step bringing him closer to his doom and for the second time in as many minutes, Artemis felt fear. Fear that he had only ever felt twice in his life. Those two times were when Butler had died before he was brought back and when Opal Koboi had locked himself and Holly in the eleven wonders of the world exhibit with hundreds of trolls. This time was different though. Those times, he knew he wasn't alone. Those two times he had help and a chance, however slim, that he would get out of it alive. This time though, there was no chance. To him he was already dead and he could do nothing.

While these thoughts plagued Artemis' mind, Althuna inched closer and closer until she was finally standing right in front of him, close enough to feel her jagged breath on his face. Artemis had frozen to the spot and couldn't move. If he was in any condition to use his brain, he would have moved but at that moment, fear held him like a vice and he was almost incapable of thoughts. Apart from the ones where he mused his own demise. Althuna on the other hand, was thinking clearly. _Oh how I want to kill this mud boy in front of me, and I can_. _I will enjoy this, _she thought. She reached out a hand and wrapped it around Artemis' throat, lifting him off the floor. His eyes bulged as she tightened her grip, squeezing the breath from his lungs. Suddenly, Artemis came back to his senses and the instinct of self-preservation. He began to claw at Althuna's hand around his throat while he kicked his legs out in an attempt to get her to loosen her grip but she only tightened it. His fingers raked at her skin, leaving deep scratches, which were instantly healed by her magic. _Breath, I need to breath, _Artemis thought, _if not now then never._ Althuna could hear the pathetic boy struggling for breath and she leered at him, her grin twisted in delight as Artemis' attempts to get her to drop him weakened and then stopped altogether as he fell limp.

Just in case he could still hear her, she whispered, 'Game over. I win,' and then she loosened her grip, ready to drop him. As she loosened though, Artemis opened his eyes and kicked out with all his might. His foot connected with her chest, hard and she instantly dropped him. If he had time, he probably would have stayed there all day, regaining his breath, but since he didn't, he made a beeline for the door as he clutched his throat and breathed in as much as he could. As he turned the corner, he got a glimpse of Althuna. She was on her feet and was heading for the door, chasing after him. Artemis quickened his pace and all out ran down the stairs towards the front door, planning to hide out in the garden. He made it to the front door and pushed it open, just as a hale of red sparks smashed into the door, just above his head. He ducked down and ran out into the garden, heading round to the back of the house. Before he did though, he quickly started the engine to the Bentley parked outside and set it to autopilot. The car set off, without him in it, towards the gates. The gates opened as the car approached, just as Althuna came running out of the house. She saw the car, driving up the road and quickly ran after it, believing that Artemis was inside it. Soon she made it to the gate and got into her own car and chased after the Bentley.

Meanwhile, Artemis was chuckling to himself. Well, trying to chuckle. All that came out was a long series of coughs and wheezes. He clutched his throat again and went round to the back of the house where he opened the back door and let himself into the house. He ran as fast as he could back up the stairs to his bedroom. As he entered he almost cried. Not out of sorrow but out of relief. Holly was conscious again and Butler and Foaly where both sitting up, letting Holly heal their wounds. They instantly looked up as Artemis entered and Butler practically ran over to him with Holly close behind him.

'Artemis, thank god. When we woke up we couldn't see you or Miss Thomson and we thought… we thought the worst,' Butler said as he hugged his young charge. Artemis started to cough again as Butler's mass pushed against his throat. Butler instantly let go as Artemis practically collapsed in his arms. 'Artemis? What is it, what's wrong?'

'Butler,' Holly said gently as the manservant laid Artemis on the floor. 'Look at his neck.'

The man obeyed and tilted Artemis' head up. What he saw almost made him collapse in shock. Artemis' white skin had a red and purple handprint around his throat where Althuna had had her hand. His skin was heavily bruised and there were tiny cuts where she had dug her fingers in. 'Dear god!'

Holly leaned forward but before she had a chance to heal the bruises, red sparks came from Artemis' skin and healed the wound. Holly and Butler could only watch in shock as the bruise and cuts faded and then disappeared altogether. They may have said something about it but at that moment, Artemis woke up at sat bolt upright, clutching his throat again as a spasm of coughs hit him. Tears rolled down his cheeks from the pain but soon the coughing stopped and Artemis looked up at the two concerned faces above him.

'What happened?' the boy asked.

'We were just about to ask you the same thing actually. Also, it appears you still have some of miss Thomson's magic left, it healed the bruise on your neck,' Holly said.

'Oh,' Artemis replied as he tried to sit up. Holly and Butler helped him to his feet. 'Well, after you lot got knocked out, Althuna came in and practically strangled me. That's how I got the bruise.'

'How did you get away?' the pretty elf next to him asked.

'I…' Artemis cleared his throat and tried again. 'I pretended that I was dead or at least unconscious and when she loosened her grip, I kicked her as hard as I could. Then she dropped me and I ran out of the house, set the Bentley to autopilot and let the car drive off. She followed it, thinking I was inside and then I came back up here.'

Butler smiled approvingly. 'Well done. If you hadn't have used your brain, we'd all be dead by now. But now, I think we all need to get some well deserved rest, don't you think?'

'Yes, I don't know about you two but I'm exhausted. Saving our lives is tiring.'

'Not to mention getting strangled,' Holly put in with a grim smile.

'Oh yes, lets make me almost dying funny. I particularly don't find it amusing in anyway,' he snapped.

'Sorry, I only meant that you did really well. Thank you,' she said, looking at the floor.

'It's OK Holly, I shouldn't have snapped. I'm just not feeling the best right now.'

'It's understandable. Now then, I'm going to sleep for an hour or two. I'll see you both later,' Holly said as she headed out of the room towards her bedroom.

'Yes, I agree with that. Oh and Butler, keep an eye out because miss Thomson will be back when she realises I wasn't in the Bentley.'

'OK, g'night.' Artemis waved his hand as a reply and headed to one of the guest bedrooms to go to sleep since his room was trashed.

A/N: There we go, that's chapter thirteen. Hope ya liked it. Please let me know by reviewing.


	14. Author Note

Hey everyone, I'm really sorry to say but I am no longer going to continue this story. If anyone wishes to take over it, they are welcome to as long as they ask. If anyone does, I'll promise to let you know what's happening. Really sorry again, bye!


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